I Never Stopped (One-shot for DivaliciousDooL)
by bklue18
Summary: After a year of trying to move on without Randy, Mara realizes she can't live her life like this anymore. But, what happens when Randy tries his hardest to get back into her life? Will Mara move on or reunite with the man she loved the most?


_Mara smiled to herself as she entered her apartment building. Ever since she started dating her boyfriend 2 years ago, everything had been great. She had joined the WWE after she came out from college as a mean to gain experience in TV production. Her main motive when she first joined was to always be serious at her job but meeting the wrestlers eventually led to her taking things less seriously and have fun with what she's doing._

_Many of the male wrestlers were good-looking in their own right but the only person that caught her eye was none other than Randy Orton. Mara smiled to herself as she entered the lift and hit the '13' button. Every moment Mara spent with Randy were the best moments of her life. They were always so in love and had even planned their lives after marriage._

_Tonight was going to be a special night. Randy had called her and said that he was coming back from the Smackdown world tour a day earlier. Mara wasn't part of the international tour team so she didn't get to go. But despite that, she still found ways to reach him even though he was overseas. _

_Mara readjusted her hold on the grocery bags as the lift doors finally opened. She had bought loads of groceries to cook Randy's favorite cuisine for dinner. As she reached into her bag to take out her keys, she accidentally nudged the door to her apartment and it opened a little._

_She frowned to herself. When she left 2 hours ago, she swore that she locked the door. How could it possibly be open? Then it hit her. Could Randy be back already? With that thought in her head, she hurriedly opened the door. She walked into the apartment and smiled to herself when she saw that the apartment was still dark._

_"Always wanting to surprise me." Mara said to herself_

_She put the grocery bags aside and reached over to the light switch and flipped it on._

_"Welc-"_

_Mara couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence as she found her boyfriend on the sofa, with his clothes crumpled at certain places as if someone had been pulling on that part. The worse of it was seeing the smudged red lipstick stains on along his neck and on his lips. _

_Randy looked at her just like a deer caught in headlights. The girl beneath him looked up and to Mara's horror, it was none other than Randy's ex-wife._

_She stepped back, unable to form a coherent sentence in her head._

_"Mara… I-I-I… Wait! I can explain." Randy said_

_Words started to form in her head and she wanted so much to say it out but she couldn't. Mara shook her head as she stepped backwards until she hit the front door, with which gave her the momentum to run out and away from Randy._

_She hailed a cab and got on almost immediately after it stopped. When she saw Randy at the entrance of the building just as she sat in the cab, she quickly turned towards the cab driver._

_"The airport, please." Mara said_

_The taxi driver nodded and drove away just as Randy ran towards the taxi. Mara pulled out her phone and hit the first number she saw. _

_"Hello?"  
"Phil? It's Mara."  
"Hey Mar… What's up? I thought you were preparing dinner for Orton."  
"I was…"  
"What's wrong, Mar?"  
"Do you think you can pick me up at the airport?"  
"What are you talking about? I'm in Chicago."  
"Exactly."  
"You lost me, Mar. Are you saying you're coming here?"  
"Yeah."  
"Alright. Call me when you're here."_

* * *

Mara snapped out of her daydream as she heard her name being called the second time. She looked up and smiled seeing her best friend, Phil Brooks or better known as CM Punk, looking at her.

"Yo, Mar. I was calling you." Phil said  
"Sorry, Phil… I wasn't on earth when you called me." Mara said  
"Still thinking about that jackass, Orton?" Phil asked

Mara sat up straight, "No…"

Phil scoffed, "Yeah… Like I'll believe you. I can still remember you getting off the plane with that swollen face from crying."

"Look. It hasn't been easy for me, Phil. I still have to see him everyday and it's hard not to think about the times we had together." Mara said  
"You mean the time you caught him with his ex." Phil said  
"It's not ex anymore." Mara said  
"Oh, right. Cause he's back with his wife and daughter and not you." Phil said

Mara looked at Phil, "Shut up, Brooks. Stop rubbing salt into wound."

Phil laughed as Mara gave him her best 'I am not amused' look. She got off the bench she was sitting on and stood up.

"I'm still trying to get over him. Please stop reminding me of the past." Mara said

Phil put up his hands, "Alright, alright… Don't snap at me. I was just stating facts."

Mara shook her head as she headed back in through the back door of the arena. Phil caught up with her as they walked down the corridor.

"So, have you thought about the job offer that HQ gave you?" Phil asked  
"The one where I sit at a desk from 9 to 5?" Mara said

She stuffed her hands into her pocket, "You know I hate sitting at a desk."

"I know. But that doesn't mean you won't just take the job to avoid Orton." Phil said

Mara looked at her best friend, "But that doesn't mean that I would take that job and give up what I like to do."

"And Mara does what she does best, right?" Phil said

She looked at her best friend and smiled.

"Besides, I would hate to lose my bus-mate." Phil said

Mara laughed and hugged Phil's arm as they continued on towards the cafeteria.

* * *

"I got it, Sam. I'll try to be home as soon as I can."

Randy sighed while covering the receiver before removing his hand.

"Stop using our daughter as an excuse. Look, if you're going to go on about me not being there for the family, I'm going to hang up." Randy said into the phone.

Hearing his ex-wife turned girlfriend build up towards the topic he had wanted to avoid, he rolled his eyes and ended the call. Ever since they got back together a year ago, there's not a day that goes by without him wondering if he had done the wrong thing.

Since Mara walked out on him, Randy had tried his hardest to get her back. But whatever he did, he couldn't get to her. It's no doubt because of the friends she has around her that were mostly his colleagues, always protecting her and shielding her from him. Because of that, Randy decided to give up on Mara and return to being a full time dad to his daughter. And, that meant trying to work things out with his ex-wife.

As he stuffed his iPhone back into his sweat pants' pocket, he heard someone laughing along the corridor and instantly recognized the voice. It had been a year since he heard that beautiful laughter he loved so much.

Randy opened the door and looked down the corridor to see Mara laughing as she hugged Phil's arm. The sight of a laughing Mara together with Phil made his blood boil. It had always been him making her laugh that way and seeing another man getting such a reaction from her made him jealous and pissed.

He slammed the door closed, forcing himself to stop watching Mara and Phil together. He angrily picked up a towel from the bench and threw it across the room. Yeah, Mara and Phil were best friends but who says best friends can't fall in love? Randy knew for sure that no matter what happened between the two of them, he was going to be there to stop it from developing further.

* * *

It was after the show and Mara had to stick around to make sure everything was okay before she left for the next town.

"Hey, Mar."

She turned around and smiled when she saw John Cena standing behind her.

"Hey, John! I thought you were on the road already." Mara said  
"Nope. I heard from Phil that you were still around so I decided to stick around for a while." John said

Mara passed a clipboard to another staff and turned to John, "If you stuck around to make sure I'd be safe, Phil's just outside in the bus."

"I know… I just…"

John rubbed the back of his neck before he continued, "I… Sigh… I haven't done this in a while… I…"

Mara looked at John with a puzzled look, not having a clue about what he wanted to say.

John let out a sigh and said, "Okay, here goes… Would you like to have breakfast with me when we reach the next town?"

Mara was a little stunned at what John just asked her but she wasn't going to deny that she was attracted to him.

"Look… I know you're still not ready to accept a new relationship after what Randy did to you. I get that. But, I hope you're willing to give me a shot." John said  
"I… I… I don't know what to say…" Mara said  
"Just say you'll give me a shot? You don't have to immediately accept me but at least give me a chance to try?" John said

Mara looked at John and couldn't help but feel butterflies in her stomach. She gave him a smile and nodded.

John smiled, "I'll see you tomorrow morning for breakfast then."

Mara nodded and smiled shyly, "See you."

As she watched John leave, Mara smiled giddily to herself. As she walked back towards Phil's bus, she was surprised to find Randy waiting outside.

Mara stepped back a little, unsure of what to do since Randy was standing next to the entrance of the bus.

"R-R-Randy?" Mara said, feeling very uncomfortable all of a sudden.

Seeing Mara face-to-face, he fought his urges to hug and kiss her. All the feelings he had kept hidden since Mara's walkout came rushing back to him.

"Mara…" Randy said

He walked one step towards her and she stepped back one step. Realizing that she would just keep doing that, Randy decided not to close the gap between them.

"What are you doing here?" Mara asked, "You should be on the road."

"I know. But, I had some last minute things to do so I'm hitching a ride from Phil." Randy said

Mara blinked a couple of times, processing what Randy just told her. It was bad enough that she had to still se Randy at work but now he was going to share the bus with her and Phil?

"I hope you're okay with it." Randy said

Not wanting to face Randy any longer, Mara merely said, "If Phil says okay, then it's okay."

She hurriedly made her way up the bus steps, not bothering to look if Randy followed.

* * *

That night, Mara couldn't get much sleep because she wasn't feeling comfortable about being in the same place as Randy. She shook her head as she got up from the bed that was now hers ever since she moved in with Phil.

"Okay Mara. Just forget about it and get some sleep." Mara said to herself.

She fell back onto her pillow and closed her eyes, trying to get some sleep. She tossed and turned but couldn't fall asleep. Mara sighed and kicked away the comforter as she got up from the bed. She opened the door quietly as she didn't want to wake anyone up… Especially Randy.

As she padded over to the kitchen area, she slowly flipped the tap open and washed the glass before picking up a new bottle of water on the kitchen island. She uncapped the bottle of water and poured the water into the glass. Once the glass was half full, she put the cap back onto the bottle and drank from the glass.

"Can't sleep?"

Mara jumped a little and her arm moved a little, causing the water in her glass to spill over slightly. She turned around, thinking it was Phil but standing behind her wasn't who she thought it was.

Mara stepped back a little, her hip bumping into the kitchen island.

"I didn't mean to scare you." Randy said

Seeing a few water droplets on her face, he reached over to clean it off gently with the back of his hand. Mara could feel herself melting into his touch but she stepped back immediately when she remembered what happened between them. As she felt Randy cup her face with that one hand, she pushed his hand away and stepped to her left, away from him.

"Please don't." Mara said

Randy looked at her, "I miss you, Mara."

Mara looked at him, "You can't just come back into my life and say these things."

She walked back towards the room and before she closed the door, she said, "You've lost that right."

As soon as Mara closed the door, Randy clenched his fist tightly before slumping a little onto the kitchen island. Mara was right. He was no longer her boyfriend and he no longer had a right to say those things to her. But, a part of him knew that his relationship with Samantha was on the rocks and it was only a matter of time until they called it quits. Looking at the closed door, Randy sighed to himself before he walked back towards the sofa bed that he was sharing with Phil.

* * *

The next morning, the bus pulled up in Anaheim, California. Mara smiled looking out her window as she saw Disneyland just right across the road. Her phone vibrated on the table and seeing the person's name, she smiled wider.

"Morning, John."  
"Mornin', Mara. You up for our breakfast date?"  
"Yup. I was waiting for you to call."  
"Well, here's the call. So, should I come over to pick you up?"  
"Uh… You don't have to. I'll come meet you."  
"You sure?"  
"Yeah…"  
"Alright then. I'll see you at the entrance of Disneyland."  
"Okay… See you."

She said good-bye to John on the phone before she picked up her satchel, ready to head out. As soon as she opened her room door, she saw Phil sitting on the now folded sofa, eating a bowl of cereal with Randy next to him.

Phil looked up, "Well, good morning to you too… Where are you off to?"

"I'm going out for breakfast." Mara said

Phil looked at Randy before looking back at Mara, "By yourself?"

"Uh… Kinda? I'll call you if I need company, okay?" Mara said

Phil nodded and waved good-bye with his spoon just as she smiled at him before walking out of the bus.

As soon as she left, Randy looked at Phil.

"You're just gonna let her leave like that?" Randy asked  
"Well, yeah. She's got her own life, she's old enough. She can do what she want." Phil said  
"Aren't you her best friend?" Randy said  
"Yeah. I'm her best friend… Not her boyfriend. I take care of her and protect her but I don't restrict or stop her from doing what she wants." Phil said  
"So… That's all you see her as?" Randy asked

Phil looked at Randy, "Yes. Why are you asking so much anyway?"

He put his cereal bowl down and continued, "You cheated on her with your ex-wife and because of you, she's afraid of dating someone else. So, if you think I'm going to let you hurt her once again, you're wrong."

"Look, Phil… What happened that night wasn't what you and Mara think it is." Randy said  
"I don't know and I don't care. Just don't try to ruin Mara's life." Phil said

Mara looked around as she walked over to the entrance of Disneyland. Standing there, dressed in a pair of jeans and t-shirt was none other than John.

She smiled seeing his get-up since she had never seen John in a pair of jeans before.

"You made it." John said  
"We did make a date yesterday morning, right?" Mara said  
"Right… Sorry… I haven't done this dating thing since high school…" John said

Mara chuckled, "It's okay… If you ask my opinion, you're doing great."

She looked around before saying, "So… What are we doing here… Outside Disneyland?"

"We are going in for our breakfast date." John said, with a smile.  
"Just like that? The ticket prices aren't cheap!" Mara said  
"Well… I want to give you a memorable first date." John said  
"That's sweet, John… But… A simple breakfast at the cafe nearby is memorable too." Mara said

John shook his head, "Too late. I've already gotten the tickets."

Mara looked at the entry tickets in John's hands and chuckled.

"You've already prepared for this, didn't you?" Mara asked

John grinned, "Yeah."

He put out his arm for her and said, "Shall we?"

Mara smiled and linked her arm with his, "We shall."

* * *

As they headed towards the entrance of Disneyland happily, they didn't know that they were being watched by Randy, who had come out of the bus to get a breather. Seeing the physical contact between John and Mara made him feel angry all of a sudden. Why were they linking arms? Were they dating behind his back? Instead of standing there with those questions in his head, he decided to shadow their every move.

Mara and John were having a blast walking around with their sugary breakfast in hand, trying out Disney merchandises and taking goofy pictures.

"This funnel cake is so good!" Mara said  
"I know! It's true what they say. Disneyland is magical." John said

Mara laughed as the two of them took a seat on one of the many benches scattered around the park.

"I've never had this much fun in a long time…" Mara said

John turned and looked at Mara, "Because of Randy?"

"Partly. But, I guess he kinda showed me that true love doesn't last forever." Mara said, "It's better to know that before things get too serious, right?"  
"Yeah… Mara… You still love Randy, don't you?" John asked

She looked at him, "Is it that obvious?"

"I can see it in your eyes. You're trying to move on but I can tell that you love him." John said  
"I'm sorry, John… I didn't mean to ruin our date…" Mara said  
"It's okay. At least you tried to give me a shot." John said  
"You're a great guy, John. And, I have to admit that I am attracted to you but… I have to admit that it isn't as strong as those feelings I still have for Randy." Mara said

John leaned back onto the back of the bench and said, "Randy's a lucky guy that shouldn't deserve you. Since he always does pretty stupid stuff."

Mara looked at him confused, "What do you mean?"

"Why don't I let him explain it to you?" John said

She frowned a little in confusion just as John stood up and walked over to the guy wearing a Mickey Mouse hat.

"Were you just going to keep following us?" John asked, approaching him.

Randy took off the cap and said, "Yeah."

John shook his head and said, "You know that's real juvenile and dumb, right?"

"It's the only way I can see what you two are up to." Randy said  
"Why? I thought you've decided to give Mara up and try to work things out with Samantha." John said  
"I tried, John! But, there isn't a day that goes by without me thinking if I hadn't made that dumbass mistake, I wouldn't be feeling miserable every time I see Mara!" Randy said

John sighed and said, "Well… Now's your time to make it right. She's just over there. If you still love her, you'll know what to say."

He stepped aside, letting Mara get a good look at who John was talking to. As soon as she saw Randy, her legs had a life of its own. Almost immediately, she stood up and took off to her left as all she knew was to get out of there.

As she walked, she knew what would have happened if she continued staying there. Knowing John, he was going to get her to resolve her problems by talking to Randy. And, Mara knew that if she had stayed there, she was going to fall back in love with the man who broke her heart; even if he was dating someone else. So, to avoid all those things from happening, she did what would be the best option for her. Walk away.

Thinking that she was a safe distance away, she slowed down. She decided to take a slow walk out of the theme park and put everything behind her but just as she neared the entrance, she felt someone grab her wrist.

She struggled and turned around, about to put her self-defence moves to good use when she realized that the person who had her wrist was Randy.

Mara frowned and tried to get her wrist out of his grip.

"Let me go!" Mara exclaimed  
"No. I'm not going to let you run off again." Randy said

She looked at him angrily, "Just to refresh your memory, we are no longer a couple so you are not entitled to say anything about how I handle situations!"

Mara thought that would make Randy let her go but it didn't work.

"Randy, let me go!" Mara exclaimed

He looked at her and said, "No. I lost you once Mara and I don't want to do it again."

"You should have thought of that before you screwed your ex-wife on OUR couch in OUR HOME!" Mara said, emphasizing certain words.  
"I know. And I was a fucking idiot for doing so. I don't know what came over me! But, we only made out! I threw her out after you found us." Randy said

Mara scoffed, "Sure. Like I'll take your word for it."

"I'm serious, Mara. I only made out with her. I didn't go beyond that." Randy said  
"Look, Randy. I don't care if you went on to second base with her or you two screwed each other like it's the end of the world. I'm no longer of any concern to you and you don't have to explain to me." Mara said

She sighed with frustration as she continued, "I'm tired of hiding from you and I'm tired of feeling sorry for myself."

She looked straight into Randy's eyes, "But most of all… I'm tired of thinking about the times we had together and hoping that time could turn back so that I could prevent that thing from happening."

"I've come to terms with it now… You have Samantha and she's your choice. So, just let me go and let me move on with my life, okay?" Mara said

Randy looked at her and he knew that she was trying her hardest not to tear up. He slowly loosened the grip he had on her wrist and she pulled away. She turned around and was about to walk towards the exit when Randy spoke.

"Do you still love me?" Randy asked

Mara turned around and feigned annoyance as she said, "What's that suppose to mean?"

"Just answer me. Do you still love me?" Randy asked  
"I'm not going to answer you. I don't have to." Mara replied

"True. You don't have to. But, here's my answer to that question." Randy said, "I still love you, Mara. From the first day we met till this very day. I never stopped loving you. Even when I'm with Samantha, you are all I think about."

Mara stood rooted to the spot. She never thought she'd hear those words come out of his mouth since the day he broke her heart. Randy walked closer to her, decreasing the proximity between them.

"I went back with Samantha because I didn't want to be that guy in your life who doesn't know a hint when he sees one. I blew my chance with you and I knew I didn't deserve a second chance." Randy said

He took a breath and continued, "If you tell me right now that you no longer love me… I'll take like a man and disappear from your life forever. I'll quit the WWE and move back to St Louis so that you'll never see me again."

Mara looked at him and saw the determination in his eyes. Randy was telling the truth and she knew that he would do it even though WWE was his life.

"Are you crazy?! You're going to give up your dream for me?!" Mara said

"I'd give up anything for you, Mara." Randy said, "I just didn't know what I had till I lost it."

They both looked at each other and Mara felt herself falling in love with Randy all over again. Seeing the man that was standing right in front of her, willing to give up everything for her made her realize that what he did that night was a mistake that he had tried to rectify.

"I get it. I don't blame you for not responding. I deserve it anyway." Randy said

Mara looked at him, a little confused. She hadn't said anything yet.

He lightly brushed her cheek with his fingers, "I love you, Mara. Always will."

And then it hit her. She didn't say anything at all. That's why Randy thought the worst. Just as his hand slid from her face, Mara caught his hand and held it.

"I love you too, Randy. Always have and always will." Mara said

He looked at her and she gave him a small smile which only made him grin.

"So… What are you saying?" Randy asked  
"I still love you, dummy. I never stopped." Mara replied

Randy's grin widened and before giving Mara enough time to react, he leaned in and kissed her lips. She smiled into the kiss, letting go of all the bad memories that plagued her. Mara broke the kiss after a while, remembering something that could hinder their relationship.

"Wait, what about Samantha?" Mara asked  
"Oh, I broke up with her last night." Randy replied  
"Really?" Mara said  
"Yeah. I wanted you and only you so why hold on to something that I don't want?" Randy said

Mara looked at him suspiciously, "So the crashing on Phil's bus was part of your plan?"

"You could say that…" Randy said

Mara chuckled and shook her head, "Weren't you worried I might not have reciprocated?"

"Yeah. But the only thing that I could think of was getting you back. I didn't care if I failed." Randy said, "I just wanted to make sure I tried everything I could before I gave up for real."

Mara smiled and squeezed his hand, "Well, I'm glad you didn't stop trying."

Randy smiled back and pecked her on the lips before the both of them walked back into the park.

"Shall we make new memories?" Randy asked  
"I thought you'd never ask." Mara replied

Randy smiled and held onto Mara's hand tighter as they walked deeper into the theme park, embarking on their continued chapter together.


End file.
